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All-American Monster
In this riveting and revealing biography of Timothy McVeigh, Brandon M. Stickney not only answers many of the compelling questions surrounding McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing, but puts this critical information into the broader perspective of McVeigh's childhood, his education, military service, and his efforts to find meaning and purpose in life. A reporter and a native of the western New York area where McVeigh was born and raised, Stickney draws on personal experience as well as numerous interviews with McVeigh's family, friends, and associates to offer intimate details of Tim's lifefactors that contributed to his startling transformation.Stickney carefully fits together the complex pieces of the puzzle that is Timothy McVeigh. Utilizing little-known and often shocking pieces of information the fruits of an intense investigation Stickney transports readers inside the mind of McVeigh to discover what might well have been his thoughts and feelings as his life moved closer and closer to that fateful April morning.
- GenresTrue Crime
350 pages, Hardcover
First published August 31, 1996
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38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 10, 2020
A more appropriate title might be: “All-American Monster: The Unauthorized Biography of My Boss’s Friend’s Brother”.
This book was extremely...meh. It was released barely a year after the bombing, so it suffers from a lack of substance and a jumbled timeline of events. It doesn’t really read like a biography of McVeigh as much as a collection of notes about things connected to McVeigh — his hometown and New York state itself, anti-government sentiment, the author’s own employer at the time (The Union-Sun & Journal, which published two letters from McVeigh in 1992), and McVeigh’s sister Jennifer.
It focuses a lot on Jennifer, actually, to an almost creepy degree. The appended interview with Jennifer is sparse, and the title (“Little Girl Lost”, really? She was twenty-two at the time, and I believe the author was also in his twenties) and attempt at a written portrait of her that accompany the interview are just stupid. “She is a country girl— attractive, subtle, weak.” Ummmmmm, what? What the hell kind of description is that?
The book reads like it tries to be objective, kind of, at first. In early chapters it’s all academic (“this author”) but in later chapters it’s “I” this and “I” that. He even goes out of his way to take shots at anyone who questions the FBI’s or the prosecution’s version of events, dismissing them as “Amerinoid” (American/paranoid, haha, soooo clever) conspiracy theorists. This gem demonstrates perfectly why the book is irritating:
“At least three people (names withheld here) have tried to tell me that the government was involved in the Oklahoma bombing. No matter what I told them, or for how long I tried to tell it, they would not change their minds that the government was involved. Distrust in public officials has reached the point of delusion, where Americans create their own explanations for events they cannot understand.”
Now, I don’t necessarily subscribe to the belief that OKC was an inside job and McVeigh a mere patsy, but this was BARELY A YEAR after the event and the trial hadn’t taken place yet. (Hell, this book was rushed to press before McVeigh and Nichols were given separate trials.) But this author, from McVeigh’s hometown, whose boss (that he was clearly trying very hard to impress) happened to know Jennifer McVeigh prior to April 1995, knows exactly what did or didn’t happen. If you don’t agree with him, you are paranoid and clearly delusional. He’s a hometown boy who doesn’t read alternative media rags, so he “gets” McVeigh and the story, and you’re wrong. And just why was he spending researching/writing time trying to tell his interview subjects that they’re wrong? Isn’t skeptical questioning supposed to be important in journalism? Crucial, even?
Maybe my dislike just boils down to dislike of the author’s tone (he occasionally throws in some snark out of nowhere, which falls flat and feels completely unnecessary) and how rushed/one-dimensional/slightly disorganized/repetitive this book is. It’s not a bad book, it’s just not a good one, either. If he’d just waited another year or two, it might have been much better, even if he still never gained access to McVeigh himself. Unlike Lana Padilla, who wasn’t likely to glean any more information she could fit in her cash-grab 1995 book, Stickney could have continued his investigation through the time leading up to and during the trial.
Oh, and Stickney mentions the “embarrassing mistake” made by Peter Jennings during his April 21, 1995 television coverage (announcing McVeigh was from Pendleton, Michigan, instead of New York) but in his own book, the photo of the Dreamland Motel (where McVeigh stayed for several nights prior to the bombing and parked the Ryder truck) is captioned “The Dreamland Motel in Arizona”. It’s actually in Junction City, Kansas. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Just skip this and read Michel and Herbeck’s American Terrorist. It’s not perfect, and who knows how much truth McVeigh really revealed in his interviews for the book, but it’s more comprehensive, more objective, and MUCH better written.
This book was extremely...meh. It was released barely a year after the bombing, so it suffers from a lack of substance and a jumbled timeline of events. It doesn’t really read like a biography of McVeigh as much as a collection of notes about things connected to McVeigh — his hometown and New York state itself, anti-government sentiment, the author’s own employer at the time (The Union-Sun & Journal, which published two letters from McVeigh in 1992), and McVeigh’s sister Jennifer.
It focuses a lot on Jennifer, actually, to an almost creepy degree. The appended interview with Jennifer is sparse, and the title (“Little Girl Lost”, really? She was twenty-two at the time, and I believe the author was also in his twenties) and attempt at a written portrait of her that accompany the interview are just stupid. “She is a country girl— attractive, subtle, weak.” Ummmmmm, what? What the hell kind of description is that?
The book reads like it tries to be objective, kind of, at first. In early chapters it’s all academic (“this author”) but in later chapters it’s “I” this and “I” that. He even goes out of his way to take shots at anyone who questions the FBI’s or the prosecution’s version of events, dismissing them as “Amerinoid” (American/paranoid, haha, soooo clever) conspiracy theorists. This gem demonstrates perfectly why the book is irritating:
“At least three people (names withheld here) have tried to tell me that the government was involved in the Oklahoma bombing. No matter what I told them, or for how long I tried to tell it, they would not change their minds that the government was involved. Distrust in public officials has reached the point of delusion, where Americans create their own explanations for events they cannot understand.”
Now, I don’t necessarily subscribe to the belief that OKC was an inside job and McVeigh a mere patsy, but this was BARELY A YEAR after the event and the trial hadn’t taken place yet. (Hell, this book was rushed to press before McVeigh and Nichols were given separate trials.) But this author, from McVeigh’s hometown, whose boss (that he was clearly trying very hard to impress) happened to know Jennifer McVeigh prior to April 1995, knows exactly what did or didn’t happen. If you don’t agree with him, you are paranoid and clearly delusional. He’s a hometown boy who doesn’t read alternative media rags, so he “gets” McVeigh and the story, and you’re wrong. And just why was he spending researching/writing time trying to tell his interview subjects that they’re wrong? Isn’t skeptical questioning supposed to be important in journalism? Crucial, even?
Maybe my dislike just boils down to dislike of the author’s tone (he occasionally throws in some snark out of nowhere, which falls flat and feels completely unnecessary) and how rushed/one-dimensional/slightly disorganized/repetitive this book is. It’s not a bad book, it’s just not a good one, either. If he’d just waited another year or two, it might have been much better, even if he still never gained access to McVeigh himself. Unlike Lana Padilla, who wasn’t likely to glean any more information she could fit in her cash-grab 1995 book, Stickney could have continued his investigation through the time leading up to and during the trial.
Oh, and Stickney mentions the “embarrassing mistake” made by Peter Jennings during his April 21, 1995 television coverage (announcing McVeigh was from Pendleton, Michigan, instead of New York) but in his own book, the photo of the Dreamland Motel (where McVeigh stayed for several nights prior to the bombing and parked the Ryder truck) is captioned “The Dreamland Motel in Arizona”. It’s actually in Junction City, Kansas. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Just skip this and read Michel and Herbeck’s American Terrorist. It’s not perfect, and who knows how much truth McVeigh really revealed in his interviews for the book, but it’s more comprehensive, more objective, and MUCH better written.
March 24, 2019
Oklahoma City happened before I was born and I hate to admit it but until recently I heard people talk about the Oklahoma City bombing but I knew absolutely nothing about it. This book was perfect and it's good for someone my age who doesn't know about this.
Since I've been learning about this lately everything I've read people say how could an American do this to his own country, but my question is how could any human being do this? I believe the author did a great job with this book I loved his writing technique, and the timeline in the book he starts from the before Timothy was born to his military career, to the bombing and his pre-trial which is when this book was written.
All around this was a heartbreaking book to read, but I think the author did good showing respect to the people who died on that horrifying day. I'll say this book is good for educational purposes if you're unfamiliar with what happened to the city, like I was. Most of all when reading just remember these are real people, have respect for them and wish they rest in peace.
Since I've been learning about this lately everything I've read people say how could an American do this to his own country, but my question is how could any human being do this? I believe the author did a great job with this book I loved his writing technique, and the timeline in the book he starts from the before Timothy was born to his military career, to the bombing and his pre-trial which is when this book was written.
All around this was a heartbreaking book to read, but I think the author did good showing respect to the people who died on that horrifying day. I'll say this book is good for educational purposes if you're unfamiliar with what happened to the city, like I was. Most of all when reading just remember these are real people, have respect for them and wish they rest in peace.
July 26, 2024
THE FIRST BIOGRAPHY OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBER
Journalist Brandon Stickney wrote in the Preface to this 1996 book, "Through long hours of research, conversation, and contemplation, I believe I have gained an understanding of McVeigh's inner forces... A few things McVeigh hoped to keep secret have been printed here. I believe the thoughts, words, and deeds presented in these pages are true and represent the best portrait of McVeigh that could be revealed at this time, before the opening of the trial... I have tried to present a broad picture that affords the reader the opportunity to form his or her own opinion."
He wrote, "In the early 1980s, divorce was not common in western New York's small, rural communities. To suffer the embarrassment of having a promiscuous mother must have made the situation for Timothy even worse, especially in light of the way rumors spread in gossipy Lockport." (Pg. 82-83)
Concerning McVeigh's high school, a classmate noted, "There were no fistfights between the races, but there was tension with a few kids who had been raised in narrow-minded homes. In essence, the area was a breeding ground for people like McVeigh who would carry those distorted beliefs into their adult lives." (Pg. 94) About McVeigh's Army times, they record, "Those same army brothers found it strange that McVeigh did not seek out women. He didn't really talk about them or go after them when the guys went out for the night... (A) Fellow soldier ... told the same newspaper ... 'You pretty much knew he was a racist.'" (Pg. 107)
McVeigh called a legal team suing the government over its actions at Waco, and McVeigh said, "'These people in government need to be sent a message.' 'Watch what you say,' Hollaway stressed. 'It's not smart to use a telephone to discuss such matters.' Hollaway got an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach." (Pg. 173)
There are other, later books discussing McVeigh; but the interviews and details make this book of ongoing interest to anyone interested in the Oklahoma City bombing and its aftermath.
Journalist Brandon Stickney wrote in the Preface to this 1996 book, "Through long hours of research, conversation, and contemplation, I believe I have gained an understanding of McVeigh's inner forces... A few things McVeigh hoped to keep secret have been printed here. I believe the thoughts, words, and deeds presented in these pages are true and represent the best portrait of McVeigh that could be revealed at this time, before the opening of the trial... I have tried to present a broad picture that affords the reader the opportunity to form his or her own opinion."
He wrote, "In the early 1980s, divorce was not common in western New York's small, rural communities. To suffer the embarrassment of having a promiscuous mother must have made the situation for Timothy even worse, especially in light of the way rumors spread in gossipy Lockport." (Pg. 82-83)
Concerning McVeigh's high school, a classmate noted, "There were no fistfights between the races, but there was tension with a few kids who had been raised in narrow-minded homes. In essence, the area was a breeding ground for people like McVeigh who would carry those distorted beliefs into their adult lives." (Pg. 94) About McVeigh's Army times, they record, "Those same army brothers found it strange that McVeigh did not seek out women. He didn't really talk about them or go after them when the guys went out for the night... (A) Fellow soldier ... told the same newspaper ... 'You pretty much knew he was a racist.'" (Pg. 107)
McVeigh called a legal team suing the government over its actions at Waco, and McVeigh said, "'These people in government need to be sent a message.' 'Watch what you say,' Hollaway stressed. 'It's not smart to use a telephone to discuss such matters.' Hollaway got an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach." (Pg. 173)
There are other, later books discussing McVeigh; but the interviews and details make this book of ongoing interest to anyone interested in the Oklahoma City bombing and its aftermath.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews